Kunpeng and Juitian-Spartan Academy

[Jbird08]

Does anyone have any information about either academy?

I made a post/reply under the Warning about Beijing PanAm if anyone is interested, and would appreciate any advice or feedback. Thanks.

[knee how]

Hello Everyone. Rodney guided me to the site from Willflyfor food, thanks.

Ok here is my story - I have been working with Wasinc to get a position with Kunpeng - however it appears Kunpeng is advertising positions on Climbto350 directly, as well it appears also thru Huaxon-HK (pardon the spelling). Anyway, I sent the requested documents thru Wasinc to Kunpeng and Lily. I was told everything was on hold do to the olympics, but then got an e-mail from my Wasinc contact saying I am approved thru the CAAC. Then I get an e-mail stating the necessary documents and paperwork still needed and what my salary will be. Then an e-mail saying things are on hold and to wait; this is followed by a call yesterday saying things are on hold and there is a question about hour requirements for the position. I told my Wasinc contact to figure it out and get back with me, and that my resaerch here and at Willfly was now a concern.

Any Advice?

Next, what does anyone know about Jiutian-Spartan Academy and Kathy there? I have been dealing with them direct and they sent a contract. I can't get straight answers out of kathy about flight hours and salary. Every e-mail she says if contract is accepted, she will provide more info. Again any advice?

My primary concerns are:
How many hours does an instructor fly each month?
What are the salaries? - I was told $2500 to $3500 monthly
How is living in China? - They claim they provide housing or pay for it
Are the students capable? - Flying ability and english
How are the aircraft and conditions?
Is it worth it?

Thanks for any insight and adviceWhat do you mean by this?

You say: "I told my Wasinc contact to figure it out and get back with me, and that my resaerch here and at Willfly was now a concern."

They are concern that ur trying to research info that they should be providing?

You Say: "Every e-mail she says if contract is accepted, she will provide more info. Again any advice?"

They want you to sign a contract without knowing what the pay and conditions are? ARE YOU SURE that's the case? It sounds hard to believe.

[Jbird08]

Knee How,

Thanks for the response. What I am trying to say is I was told by my contact at Wasinc that I was verified by the CAAC and that Kunpeng wanted to hire me; they even sent my pay. Then I was told everything is on hold, so I asked her to figure it out and get back with me. Very simple am I hired or on hold?

As for Juitian-Spartan, Everytime I ask a specific question about Pay, housing or hours flown, the response is refer to the contract and if you agree we will provide more information. My asking how many hours does an instructor fly should be easy to answer, not depends on weather and the military. It doesn't have to be exact, but average hours for the last three months are - June 45, July 50, August 45. The same with pay, we have 10 instructors and 5 make $2500 a month 3 make $2000 a month and 2 make $3000 a month.

As for my research, you are correct; they should be providing more information and I hear various stories about safety and various issues which are a concern. Is the information about China flight instructing across the board or academy specific. And yes I consider that some are happy and others not, which is why I read post to determine if there is a pattern to what is stated in the posts.

Call me naieve, but making the decision to move to China and sign a contract is something I want to be comfortable with. I am simply trying to make informed decisions.

If you are at one of these academies or know anyone there and can provide information please do. Most of what I am reading is about Beijing Pan Am and the related information from those posts. Thanks.

[knee how]

Jbird08,

My sources tell me that both these flight schools only have a handful of foreign instructors at the moment which explains why you're not getting much feedback here. As for how many hours you do a month, if their answer is that it depends on the military and the weather, then yes, they are giving you an accurate answer. It's anybody's guess how many hours you can get to do a month in China as a GA flight instructor. One month, you could be doing 50 hours, next month you could be doing 2 hours. And no-one has control over that; not your flight school, nor the CAAC.

GA in China is a new concept. Paranoid military controllers can prevent you from flying for days on end without any reason. So too can paranoid ATC. And so too can the paranoid airport officials. Not to mention the paranoid airport security officers. To get on the the apron just to do circuits, we get frisked, bag checked and ramp pass checked by airport security, just as you would when boarding a commercial flight. Again, this is just to get to the light aircraft apron to do circuits or a flight to the training area. :rolleyes:

China is not yet ready for GA. Controllers have no idea how to handle and separate GA traffic from scheduled commercial traffic. They can't appreciate the fact that we are training student pilots who are learning and who will make mistakes. That's all a part of the learning process .. learning from your mistakes. But the response from ATC would be to punish the school if mistakes happen. :rolleyes: Thus, China is no way ready for GA, let alone flight training academies. That is my honest opinion of the state of affairs in China at the moment with General Aviation. Yes, the CAAC is trying to implement changes to rules, regulations and procedures so that China's GA industry can bloom, but with the way in which things happen here, I'd give it a good 15 to 20 years before we start to see GA the way in which it exists in the US, Australia, Canada etc. :ugh: And no, I'm not exaggerating.

Good luck with getting concrete answers to your questions and good luck with what ever decision you make. Some people think it's worth coming here just to 'test' the waters and see the boom in China with the aviation industry, but if you think coming to China is going to advance your aviation career in any way, then I'd seriously be looking elsewhere.

[Jbird08]

Knee how,

Thanks for the information.

I heard back from my contact at Wasinc and she told me there are changes at Kunpeng as they have a new manager. Allegedly, the new manager wants CFI's with higher total times, so myself and another CFI are being passed on. This is disturbing because they have had my information since July, I was approved by the CAAC, and they even sent what my salary would be once employed.

As for Juitian-Spartan, I am approved by the CAAC but I am still having trouble getting the information I am seeking from my contact. I have been told there are 10 CFI's, with about 60 students and 6 C-172's and
1 twin. No firm information about pay (except the base salry) as it depends on students assigned and how much flying occurs.

I would enjoy living and working abroad, as well as building time and intruction given, but it appears my expectations might be high. I honestly appreciate the information from those of you there as to what the facts are. Darn, now I have a tough decision to make.

[knee how]

Jbird08 ... check PMs. I have some extra information for you.

[Alpha_Dog]

buddy, anywhere you go in China would be the same: low flight time, low living expenses, fairly good pay comparing to US flight schools, much frustration from trying understand your student's Chinglish. Also expect fun parties and all-you-can-drink $0.75 24oz bottles of Tsingtao beer (tastes exactly like most US light beers).